Django Lovett of Canada at the IAAF Press Conference in Moncton (© Getty Images)
Django Lovett doesn't need to make a name for himself; it was given to him. Search this site for his unusual given name and you will find nobody other than this Canadian High Jumper, joint bronze medallist at the World Youth Championships in 2009 at a PB 2.17m and the first jumper to win his provincial championships three times in a row.
What Lovett wants is not a name but a lift. With junior marks 10cm and more above his PB, Lovett has his work cut out for him here in Moncton as he pursues the goal of a podium finish.
Lovett thinks he has an extra advantage, however, in the special roar every crowd reserves for the home team. Despite coming to Moncton from the other side of Canada, in British Columbia, Lovett and the rest of his red-and-white-clad squad are happy to call this New Brunswick city home for a week.
"There are sixty Canadians on our team," Lovett told reporters this morning, "It's the most we've ever had on a World Junior Championships team. We're hoping to have the best World Junior Championships we've ever had."
For Lovett, that means nothing short of victory. Lovett trains with the Valley Royals club in British Columbia, where one of his teammates is 2004 World Junior champion Michael Mason. Mason was Canada's only World Junior champion with that 2004 victory.
"Last year I came prepared. This year, I knew I wanted to be as prepared, or more prepared." Lovett's secondary goal, the 2.20m minimum standard for Canada's team to Daegu in 2011, could be the height needed just to reach the podium here in Moncton.
While some athletes, particularly inexperienced ones, can crumble under the expectations of a home crowd, Lovett is eager for their support.
"I think of the crowd support as pushing me to the next level. They want you to be your best."
Lovett may be the only Django in international athletics, but in another way he's following his name into music. Like his namesake Jean "Django" Reinhardt, Lovett has taken up playing the guitar in his off-hours.
Parker Morse for the IAAF
